BROOM-CORaST EXPERIMENTS AT WOODWARD, OKLAHOMA. 17 



from which this seed was selected was of uniform height and pro- 

 duced a crop of good brush. The fiber was round, pliable, of medium 

 size, and of uniform length. 



In 1917 two more strains (C. I. Nos. 580 and 588) "were included 

 in the experiment. These were obtained in the spring of 1915 and 

 grown for two years in 8-rod rows before being increased to tenth- 

 acre plats. The former (C. I. No. 580) was obtained from a seed 

 company in Houston, Tex., under the name "California Golden 

 Dwarf," and the latter (C. I. No. 588) from a seed firm in New York, 

 under the name "Evergreen." These strains are early, and for that 

 reason were thought to be of probable value. 



The vegetative period for C. I. No. 556, shown in Table V, ranges 

 from 73 to 80 days for all years except 1917. In that year it was pro- 

 longed to 112 days, which was due to droughty weather conditions 

 during the vegetative period. For the other two strains the vegeta- 

 tive periods in that same year were 95 and 100 days, respectively, 

 which are 17 and 12 days shorter for these strains than for C. I. 

 No. 556. The fruiting period usually occupies from 17 to 20 days, 

 depending upon growing conditions. These early strains required 

 less time than C. I. No. 556 by 9 and 7 clays in 1917, and the fruit- 

 ing period of the one grown in 1918 was shorter by 5 days. The 

 other strain (C. I. No. 588) was discarded after one year. It 

 was not as early as the one which is retained, and while the brush 

 was of a greater average length the quality was not as good. The 

 most objectionable feature was the construction of the head. Al- 

 most without exception the heads had a rachis or central stem from 

 3 to 4 inches in length. 



The average row space per plant in the 5 -year period ranged from 

 5.8 inches in 1915 to 8.6 inches in 1918. The plats were thinned by 

 hand each year to approximate a stand of one plant to 6 inches of 

 row space, as that appears to be about the right rate for the best 

 results under Woodward conditions. The stalk space does not differ 

 materially from the plant space, as the percentage of suckers is 

 quite small. In 1914 and 1915 the suckers amounted to less than 1 

 per cent, and they were as much as 20 per cent in only one year. 

 This occurred in 1918 in one variety, though the average for the 

 two strains that year was only 14.9 per cent. 



The yield per acre of brush is recorded in pounds. The yield 

 of good quality is recorded first, then that of poor quality, and lastly 

 the total yield, which is the combined weight of both qualities. 

 The highest total yield was obtained in 1915, which was the most 

 favorable season for high production in the 5-year period. But the 

 percentage of good brush was lower in that year than in any other. 

 This is natural, as seasonal conditions favorable to rapid growth are 



147841°— 20— Bui. 836 3 



